Humanities Day Held By English Department Inspires Students

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March 28 brought many intellectuals and storytellers to our classrooms and halls during Humanities Day. Humanities are often defined as academic disciplines that study human culture.The day centering on these subjects and chaired by faculty members Suzy Frasco and Jessica Nugent, started with Ursuline alumna, Jennifer Houston Scripps, class of ’95. She spoke of her involvement in summer and after-school programs designed to enrich children in the world of humanities. Scripps offered an anecdote on how life changing the arts can be. When a friend of hers told Scripps she was fostering a young girl, she said that she was eager to tell the woman about a program she was putting on. The result was amazing.

“The young lady learned to speak up and came home humming a song. She ended up becoming an actress in the play we were putting on. Humanities helped that girl learn, and likewise, humanities can also help students explore arts and culture,” Scripps said.

The day, however, featured all types of information.
“It was incredible,” said Bliss H., a sophomore. She said that she loved hearing Mr. Weeks’ talk on comparing cartography in Dallas to other places in the world.
“It was incredible to see how the French and Spanish have had such an influence on such a crucial part of our lives, which is our road system!” she said. She remarked that it was so cool how humanities influenced lives, even if we didn’t know it.

Also, religion is a major part of humanities, to many people’s surprise. Freshman Tori Z. loved the interfaith panel. Representatives included Laura Seymour from the Jewish Community Center of Dallas, Hind Jarrah from the Texas Muslin Women’s Foundation, Pandit Mahendra Persad from the North Texas Hindu Mandir, and Fr. Michael D. Forge from Mary Immaculate Catholic Church.

“It helped me learn about the sides of religions we don’t typically see,” she said. Tori said she was able to learn more about what the four religions stood for in general. Freshman Jordan B. commented how the lecture opened her eyes to other faiths and led her to a deeper understanding of what others believe in.”
Caroline P. a junior, saw Dallas’ oldest Holocaust survivor, Irma Freudenreich, and listened to her fascinating story. “She was so strong and determined. Her will to live and mental strength gave her physical strength to get through those incomparably hard times,” she said. She also loved Irma’s love story: “It was the cutest!”
Caroline said she came away with not only a kiss on the forehead, but also a reminder to keep sharing the horrific stories of the Holocaust so it will never happen again.

From faith panels to creating bouquets of flowers, Humanities Day was a perfect time to explore the arts and cultures around the world, even if one of the speakers hit close to home.

“It was fun going to see Jerome Weeks because I listen to NPR every day!” said Paola O., a freshman. Jerome Weeks is also the Art&Seek producer-reporter for KERA. A professional critic for more than two decades, he is the spouse of Ursuline teacher Sara Weeks.

All agreed that Humanities Day helped us to explore and to appreciate the arts and culture once again.

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